The “Fraudies Awards” for Employee Fraud — Recognizing 2008’s Clueless Corporate Scammers (Friday Humor?)
A Banner Year for Fraud!
Chronicling a banner year for fraud, highlighted by Bernard Madoff’s alleged $50 billion financial swindle, Oversight Systems presents the Fraudies Awards to recognize the most audacious attempts to bilk employers for personal gain.
For every headline grabbing story about multi-billion dollar scams, there are millions of smaller fraudulent transactions that go unnoticed every year. From stupid expense violations to ingenious travel scams, the Fraudies take a lighthearted look at employee fraud — a serious problem that costs companies millions and ultimately punishes the vast majority of employees who are honest and ethical.
The Fraudies Selection Committee has chosen its employee fraud winners based on the cunning audacity, and/or the farcical nature of these career-limiting schemes.
These real-life scams are presented anonymously to protect the privacy of their employers, and each alleged perpetrator is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
And Now, the Winners of the 2008 Fraudies!
- Best Musical Score
Employees within a single company billed over $100,000 in iTunes purchases to their corporate credit cards. The perpetrators of this costly employee theft showcased a wide variety of music and movie download tastes, which will undoubtedly keep them occupied while waiting in the unemployment line!
- Best Romantic Comedy…of Errors
This leading man used a corporate credit card to make over $4,000 in purchases from Victoria’s Secret. The soft-hearted romantic was caught cheating by his company and then subsequently busted for two-timing by his wife (apparently he wasn’t buying gifts for her!)
- Best Foreign Travel Scam
Displaying a resourcefulness that would lead to a promotion if engaged for honest purposes, this fraudster cooked up a complex travel scam. After purchasing international airline tickets on his personal credit card, he filed for reimbursement from his company. He then exchanged those tickets for airline credit, which he promptly sold on eBay. He stayed home from work the week he was supposed to be traveling on business.
- Best Medium for Employee Fraud
Displaying a profound lack of foresight, this employee rang up over $3,400 in charges to a psychic hotline on a company credit card. She is currently looking for a new psychic after the first one failed to alert her that getting fired for employee theft and looking for a new job were in her immediate future.
- Best Supporting Cast
The final Fraudie goes to this family man, who brought the entire clan in on his scheme to defraud the company after he was already laid off. After getting the pink slip, he used his company credit card to book his family of five on a $40,000 Mediterranean cruise.
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